10-08-2003, 03:29 PM
AS VALAICHENAI STUDENT PROTESTS CONTINUE FOR THE 2ND DAY LTTE BRINGS CHILDREN TO A PRESS CONFERENCE AND SAY THEY JOINED WAR ON THEIR OWN FREE WILL
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
October 08, 08.45 PM: The students and parents protest demonstration demanding the children abducted be returned immediately continued at Valaichenai Hindu College for the second day, although due to alleged threats by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the number participating in the protest decreased and were held not on the street like on the first day but within the compound of the school premises, sources in the troubled Eastern Province town reported.
The first ever protest demonstration against the Tamil rebel group by the students and parents at Valaichenai Hindu College, Monday was held on Kalkudah road but the LTTE refused to return the students claiming the children joined the terrorist group voluntarily on their own free will. Their refusal also came amidst the implementation of a program by the rebel group to release child soldiers in coloration with the United Nations Children's Fund The LTTE front organization TRO has received millions of dollars of UNICEF money for the program.
The LTTE as a counter propaganda measure brought eleven of the allegedly abducted students to meet correspondents described mostly as sympathetic to the LTTE and made some abducted students declaring that they joined the guerilla army on their own free will.
Some who attended the press conference at Thennam Hall, Karadiyanaru, that was presided over by the LTTE Batticaloa spokesman Krishan, said the students who made statements were found to be heavily coached by the LTTE and the statements could have been very well made under duress The LTTE never allowed the correspondents to meet the allegedly abducted children individually or privately. But the BBC's Sandeshaya, the Sinhala Program run by Trotskyites sympathetic to the LTTE broadcast the statements without any comments or verifications.
Two students who made statements at the press conference were Manoharan Pradeepan and Savarimuttu Roshan Michael. Both of them said in Tamil they joined the LTTE guerilla army voluntarily. Another one said the colleagues and parents of Hindu College were demonstrating since they were under the mistaken understanding that the children were abducted. LTTE spokesman Krishan said despite thousands of complaints by parents, the LTTE was not abducting any children for military conscription.
The just released 17th Special report by the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) anyway described vividly the background to the Valaichenai incident as follows:
6th October: An Unexpected Turn of Events in Valaichchenai
Over the weekend of 4th 5th October, the LTTE conscripted over 40 persons in the area including Valaichchenai, Peththalai and Kalkudah, of whom 17 were from Nahammal School, Kalkudah; Peththalai School and Valaichchenai Hindu College (VHC). The remainder was a mixture of adults and children out of school. The children taken included, Kauthan Satheeshkumar (12 years) of Nahammal School Paasikkudah,V. Pratheepan (13 or 14)of VHC and Nallathamby Kanthan (14) of Nahmmal School. Appendix I contains more names. 4th, Saturday was the great festival of Saraswathy, the goddess of learning, which was celebrated at VHC. Towards evening, after worship ended and food was served, the school children played in the grounds.
It was then, about 5.00 PM that an LTTE conscription team under Thoathiran came to the grounds in a blue van with registration number GF 0295. Thoathiran had his own ideas about paying homage to Saraswathy. Thothiran called children to get into the van to help them push a vehicle that was stuck and left with about 10 captives. Nothing remarkable here for those who knew what was going on in the East these last two years. On Monday 6th, the totally unexpected happened.
The students of the school, about 700 of them, and some parents, protested on the Kalkudah Road, blocking the traffic from 7.00 AM demanding the release of the students. It could not have come at a worse time for the LTTE. It had carefully prepared the ground for Thamilchelvan's ongoing visit to Ireland by a token release of 49 children into a transit camp jointly managed with UNICEF. After the Valaichchenai protest, the world media, from the BBC, broadcast to the world that the LTTE abducted a comparable number of children the very next day! One could hardly blame the LTTE if they suspected a conspiracy, but then who was there for such conspiracies? A ghost?
The LTTE had carefully crushed any potential opposition in the area, which was of special interest to Karuna. He had the popular TULF MP Nimalan Soundaranayagam murdered and now the TULF is deaf and dumb. The only other person there with a significant electoral base is Siva of the EPRLF (V), who was given a prison warrant with the signing of the MoU, which would become a death warrant should he get a little humanly careless. He lives in his party office under police protection and the people fear that meeting him could be too costly.
VHC has been carefully cultivated by the LTTE and has a particular significance for Karuna. The LTTE has used the school regularly as a centre for propaganda meetings for teachers and students from the area, which is under Karuna's brother Reggie. On 21st May 2002, Karikalan inaugurated the Tamil Students Wing in that school with its principal Thavarajah as head, to organize the students and teachers of Batticaloa North as part of the LTTE's machine for propaganda, protests and general violent mobilization. About the turn of the year, a key LTTE spokesman was brought from the Vanni to address staff and students from local schools at VHC about the LTTE's new curriculum. Those who would not toe the line were issued dire threats. Reggie too spoke.
Against this background the protest against the LTTE must have come as a rude shock. It was no doubt triggered spontaneously. How much could after all fascists do to ensure that the ground does not crumble under their tread? As was to be expected (e.g. the Vijitharan protest of 1986), the LTTE's first move was to break up the protest with promises. Even as the protest was under way, LTTE men wearing helmets concealing their identity entered the school discreetly through the back entrance, and negotiated with the parents in the presence of the principal. The principal went to the protesters and reportedly gave an assurance that the abducted students will be released in a matter of days. Around 12.00 PM, the protesters started moving into the school.
Although the protesters are confident of resuming the protest if the LTTE does not keep its word, it is not so simple. By now the LTTE intelligence would be hard at work trying to identify leaders through the principal and teachers whom it has ensnared into its web. In the next couple of days one could expect several individuals to be targeted for fascist-style intimidation at the least.
Fallout from the Valaichchenai Protest
As expected, during the course of the 7th the LTTE's repressive machinery was grinding at full throttle. When the LTTE had called children to get into the vehicle, one boy who was in the company had told the LTTEers that he would follow on his bicycle and had not gone. The LTTE suspected him of having given the alarm that the children had been taken by the LTTE. The LTTE's Economic Development Secretary Nizam called the boy and his father to the Puthukudiyiruppu office and abused them for creating trouble.
Word was also sent to parents and students who were seen to be active in the demonstrations to call at Nizam's office. Some did not go. The others went at different times. Those who went were abused and told that they will not protest if the Army shoots people, but come forward to protest only when LTTE abducts children. One man who lost his son Pradheepan (13 or 14) was the Post Master at Mankerni. Going in search of his son, he saw Jim Kelly Thaaththa and some other LTTEers on the road. He asked them to return his son. When they refused, he attempted to commit suicide, according to local sources. The incident will result in significant pressure of the UNICEF to change its approach to the LTTE. It has already issued a strong statement on the Valaichchenai fiasco.
Whatever the impression the LTTE would like to give the international community, it was unsparing in its efforts to halt the escape of conscripts. An unknown number of parents have been taken hostage in lieu of their escaped children (see cases in Appendix II). They have been sent out to hard labour in pig farms and other LTTE establishments in Tharavai, Kudumbimalai and Kathiraveli. Among the persons in charge of this project are reportedly Tharan of Intelligence, Thirumal and Vairavan.
There is therefore no change in the LTTE's intentions. It is all the time adapting its methods to minimize scrutiny from international organizations. The manner in which it is handling the very young is instructive.
(08/10/03 go2lanka.com)
http://www.go2lanka.com/stories/081003.html
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
October 08, 08.45 PM: The students and parents protest demonstration demanding the children abducted be returned immediately continued at Valaichenai Hindu College for the second day, although due to alleged threats by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the number participating in the protest decreased and were held not on the street like on the first day but within the compound of the school premises, sources in the troubled Eastern Province town reported.
The first ever protest demonstration against the Tamil rebel group by the students and parents at Valaichenai Hindu College, Monday was held on Kalkudah road but the LTTE refused to return the students claiming the children joined the terrorist group voluntarily on their own free will. Their refusal also came amidst the implementation of a program by the rebel group to release child soldiers in coloration with the United Nations Children's Fund The LTTE front organization TRO has received millions of dollars of UNICEF money for the program.
The LTTE as a counter propaganda measure brought eleven of the allegedly abducted students to meet correspondents described mostly as sympathetic to the LTTE and made some abducted students declaring that they joined the guerilla army on their own free will.
Some who attended the press conference at Thennam Hall, Karadiyanaru, that was presided over by the LTTE Batticaloa spokesman Krishan, said the students who made statements were found to be heavily coached by the LTTE and the statements could have been very well made under duress The LTTE never allowed the correspondents to meet the allegedly abducted children individually or privately. But the BBC's Sandeshaya, the Sinhala Program run by Trotskyites sympathetic to the LTTE broadcast the statements without any comments or verifications.
Two students who made statements at the press conference were Manoharan Pradeepan and Savarimuttu Roshan Michael. Both of them said in Tamil they joined the LTTE guerilla army voluntarily. Another one said the colleagues and parents of Hindu College were demonstrating since they were under the mistaken understanding that the children were abducted. LTTE spokesman Krishan said despite thousands of complaints by parents, the LTTE was not abducting any children for military conscription.
The just released 17th Special report by the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) anyway described vividly the background to the Valaichenai incident as follows:
6th October: An Unexpected Turn of Events in Valaichchenai
Over the weekend of 4th 5th October, the LTTE conscripted over 40 persons in the area including Valaichchenai, Peththalai and Kalkudah, of whom 17 were from Nahammal School, Kalkudah; Peththalai School and Valaichchenai Hindu College (VHC). The remainder was a mixture of adults and children out of school. The children taken included, Kauthan Satheeshkumar (12 years) of Nahammal School Paasikkudah,V. Pratheepan (13 or 14)of VHC and Nallathamby Kanthan (14) of Nahmmal School. Appendix I contains more names. 4th, Saturday was the great festival of Saraswathy, the goddess of learning, which was celebrated at VHC. Towards evening, after worship ended and food was served, the school children played in the grounds.
It was then, about 5.00 PM that an LTTE conscription team under Thoathiran came to the grounds in a blue van with registration number GF 0295. Thoathiran had his own ideas about paying homage to Saraswathy. Thothiran called children to get into the van to help them push a vehicle that was stuck and left with about 10 captives. Nothing remarkable here for those who knew what was going on in the East these last two years. On Monday 6th, the totally unexpected happened.
The students of the school, about 700 of them, and some parents, protested on the Kalkudah Road, blocking the traffic from 7.00 AM demanding the release of the students. It could not have come at a worse time for the LTTE. It had carefully prepared the ground for Thamilchelvan's ongoing visit to Ireland by a token release of 49 children into a transit camp jointly managed with UNICEF. After the Valaichchenai protest, the world media, from the BBC, broadcast to the world that the LTTE abducted a comparable number of children the very next day! One could hardly blame the LTTE if they suspected a conspiracy, but then who was there for such conspiracies? A ghost?
The LTTE had carefully crushed any potential opposition in the area, which was of special interest to Karuna. He had the popular TULF MP Nimalan Soundaranayagam murdered and now the TULF is deaf and dumb. The only other person there with a significant electoral base is Siva of the EPRLF (V), who was given a prison warrant with the signing of the MoU, which would become a death warrant should he get a little humanly careless. He lives in his party office under police protection and the people fear that meeting him could be too costly.
VHC has been carefully cultivated by the LTTE and has a particular significance for Karuna. The LTTE has used the school regularly as a centre for propaganda meetings for teachers and students from the area, which is under Karuna's brother Reggie. On 21st May 2002, Karikalan inaugurated the Tamil Students Wing in that school with its principal Thavarajah as head, to organize the students and teachers of Batticaloa North as part of the LTTE's machine for propaganda, protests and general violent mobilization. About the turn of the year, a key LTTE spokesman was brought from the Vanni to address staff and students from local schools at VHC about the LTTE's new curriculum. Those who would not toe the line were issued dire threats. Reggie too spoke.
Against this background the protest against the LTTE must have come as a rude shock. It was no doubt triggered spontaneously. How much could after all fascists do to ensure that the ground does not crumble under their tread? As was to be expected (e.g. the Vijitharan protest of 1986), the LTTE's first move was to break up the protest with promises. Even as the protest was under way, LTTE men wearing helmets concealing their identity entered the school discreetly through the back entrance, and negotiated with the parents in the presence of the principal. The principal went to the protesters and reportedly gave an assurance that the abducted students will be released in a matter of days. Around 12.00 PM, the protesters started moving into the school.
Although the protesters are confident of resuming the protest if the LTTE does not keep its word, it is not so simple. By now the LTTE intelligence would be hard at work trying to identify leaders through the principal and teachers whom it has ensnared into its web. In the next couple of days one could expect several individuals to be targeted for fascist-style intimidation at the least.
Fallout from the Valaichchenai Protest
As expected, during the course of the 7th the LTTE's repressive machinery was grinding at full throttle. When the LTTE had called children to get into the vehicle, one boy who was in the company had told the LTTEers that he would follow on his bicycle and had not gone. The LTTE suspected him of having given the alarm that the children had been taken by the LTTE. The LTTE's Economic Development Secretary Nizam called the boy and his father to the Puthukudiyiruppu office and abused them for creating trouble.
Word was also sent to parents and students who were seen to be active in the demonstrations to call at Nizam's office. Some did not go. The others went at different times. Those who went were abused and told that they will not protest if the Army shoots people, but come forward to protest only when LTTE abducts children. One man who lost his son Pradheepan (13 or 14) was the Post Master at Mankerni. Going in search of his son, he saw Jim Kelly Thaaththa and some other LTTEers on the road. He asked them to return his son. When they refused, he attempted to commit suicide, according to local sources. The incident will result in significant pressure of the UNICEF to change its approach to the LTTE. It has already issued a strong statement on the Valaichchenai fiasco.
Whatever the impression the LTTE would like to give the international community, it was unsparing in its efforts to halt the escape of conscripts. An unknown number of parents have been taken hostage in lieu of their escaped children (see cases in Appendix II). They have been sent out to hard labour in pig farms and other LTTE establishments in Tharavai, Kudumbimalai and Kathiraveli. Among the persons in charge of this project are reportedly Tharan of Intelligence, Thirumal and Vairavan.
There is therefore no change in the LTTE's intentions. It is all the time adapting its methods to minimize scrutiny from international organizations. The manner in which it is handling the very young is instructive.
(08/10/03 go2lanka.com)
http://www.go2lanka.com/stories/081003.html
Truth 'll prevail